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March 10, 2012

Agents of the Reaper (Sebastian and the Afterlife II) by William j. Barry
paperback & ebook
Published February 2012 by The Writer's Coffee Shop
ISBN (ppb): 978-1-61213-093-4
ISBN (ebook): 978-1-61213-094-1

Sebastian, a seventeen-year-old boy in the spirit realm, is now
training to be an agent of the Grim Reaper. He and his friend Onyx will
need all of their new training and special powers as the soul pirates
threaten the realm once again. Brocku has obtained the Oblivion Gate,
and Axis Red begins to execute a plan more devious than ever.

Sebastian’s lingering concerns for Sarah and his troubled sister
Kristen are put on hold when he is thrown into a perilous situation. A
special team of agents must join together for a mission that even they
might not survive.

At the same time, Sebastian’s friends are busier than ever. Onyx is
still searching for a way to express her feelings for Sebastian. Jack is
battling through his brother’s surreal dreams to reach him, and
Patricia receives a new job in the realm.

In the battle between good and evil, just because you can face your
fears doesn’t mean you can overcome them. Join Sebastian and his
friends, as their adventure becomes darker and more dangerous than ever! From Goodreads.com

"This is a fun and fast paced fantasy aimed at middle graders." Lost in a Library

"Another great read from William Barry!" Tavaresden

"A great continuation of the Sebastian and the Afterlife series" Alcarinqa

"This series is a must read" brie867

"a book that flows perfectly" TH2014

About William j. Barry:

William j. Barry was born in Newton, New Jersey. He moved to Florida
and then to Georgia at a young age. Ever since grade school, William
enjoyed penning original short stories. They were a good outlet for his
overactive imagination. William grew up in the Augusta, Georgia area
before moving to Athens, Georgia where he obtained a bachelor’s degree
in psychology from The University of Georgia.

After college, William returned his focus to writing. Sebastian and
the Afterlife was his first novel. The book was signed by TWCS
Publishing House and released in February of 2011. He followed that book
with Agents of the Reaper, the second installment in the Sebastian and
the Afterlife middle-grades/teen fantasy novels. It was released
February 9th, 2012.

Besides writing, the author also enjoys writing and recording music
and filmmaking. William is married and currently lives on the outskirts
of Athens, Georgia.

March 8, 2012

Since it's ebook week and I also wanted to do a little follow-up to the post from last week, I decided that I would talk about Netgalley today. If you are a blogger who is open to reading ebooks then you should sign up for an account. It is free and a great way to get ARCs.

Like most bloggers, I started off reviewing books that were currently on my bookshelves. The problem with that was most of them were older (more than a year). I knew if I wanted to get my readership up I needed to review newer books. The problem with trying to review new books was a money issue. While I didn't mind paying for books from authors I already loved and adored, I wanted to expand my reading horizons and was leery of spending so much money on books I might not like. As soon as I bought my Nook, I signed up for a Netgalley account. Now I was able to request books months before they hit the bookstore. Readership went up! I also discovered some great new authors, including J. B. Lynn. I reviewed The First Victim from Netgalley and was asked to review her latest novel Confessions of a Slightly Neurotic Hitwoman.

Another great benefit to being on Netgalley is publishers get to know you. I've reviewed several books through Netgalley and since you can submit your review directly to the publisher through it, my reviews were being seen by people that mattered. The publishers that send me review requests now are ones who I started off reviewing through Netgalley. I really believe reviewing books through Netgalley helped me get my toe in the door with publishers large and small. Out of the requests I've made, only 1 request was rejected, but I then realized that it was a Canadian imprint and they were wanting Canadian bloggers.

Netgalley requires you to set-up a public profile that publicists can view. In mine I tell a little about why I enjoy reading and blogging. While there is a genre check list, I also include a little more info about the types of books I prefer. I include stats about my blog: audience demographics, average daily page views, monthly unique visitor number, etc. For other useful stats take a look at point 5 in Lucinda's post last week. If you post your reviews (either in full or partial) any where else (Goodreads, Amazon, LibraryThing, etc.) include that as well. The information in your profile will help them determine whether to approve your request or not, but also they will have it when they are trying to match books on their list with bloggers.

Even if you don't want to review e-galleys, Netgalley can still benefit you. Some publishers have particular policies regarding who reviews and how the reviews should be done. When I first started blogging, I found a lot of vaulable information there about what publishers wanted. It is also a good way to see what books are coming up and there is usually a way to contact the publisher so you might be able to request a print copy (I haven't tried this, so I'm not 100% sure). Also the book information page includes links to the author - website, Twitter, Facebook, which are all good things to add to posts (particularly the Twitter & Facebook info so you can tag the author when you post the review).

If you are part of a blog that has multiple contributors, you can also list your blog as a Review Organization. This is a public list, so authors, publishers, and publicist not listing books with Netgalley can still see the list. I've used it on occasion to match up my authors with bloggers. It's free publicity for your blog!

March 7, 2012

I'm needing to organize the ebooks on my Nook (or waiting to be transferred to my Nook), I thought I would do a post on what is waiting to be read. Some of these are review copies sent to me by the author or publisher and others are ebooks I picked up on free days. Read more about eBook Week at http://www.ebookweek.com/

As you can see I have some reading to do. I don't think I will ever be without a book to read. I'm happy to see that I only have eight ebooks for review (I honestly thought it was higher). Have you read any of these? What are your thoughts?

March 6, 2012

In honor of eBook week, I thought I would take a look back at some of the best ebooks I've read and give you a peek of what else is on my reader. You can find out more about ebook week at http://www.ebookweek.com/

While I still love to read print books, there is a convenience that I greatly appreciate from my ereader. It is much lighter than most of the books I read. I can easily pull my Nook out while standing in line and just as easily stow it away. I never lose my place because the bookmark fell out.

My Top 5 eBook Recommendations (I've limited it to the titles that I read as ebooks. Many print books I've read are also available as ebooks, but were excluded for this list).

Mistakes by A. M. Hayward & L. J. Holder
A sheltered high school student decides to be a bit rebellious for her senior year spring break. A trip south of the border and a cute guy with a sinister plan gives Maddie a spring break she won't forget. With themes of human trafficking and the sex trade, Mistakes is not an easy read, but the story flows nicely and you will be emotionally invested from page one. See my full review.

For those more interested in medical drama, check out Lethal Remedy by Richard Mabry. While many of the main characters have a Christian background, the book is not preachy and the main focus of the book is the medical and ethical situation caused by a highly deadly virus. See my full review.

Throwawayby Heather Huffman is another ebook not to miss and it's only 99 cents at Amazon. A prequel has just been released. In Throwaway, the readers preconceived ideas are challenged and for me a much needed wake up call to a problem that is growing exponentially in our country and around the world. See my full review.

Everyone should have Confessions of a Slightly Neurotic Hitwoman by J. B. Lynn on their ereader. It is a fun read. Great characters, great action, just great storytelling. Looking for a strong female lead character? Maggie may be unsure at times, but when it comes to family she does what she has to do. See my full review.

Every ereader (well at least those used by women) needs a swoon worthy male lead. It isn't often that I find a character that I want to meet in real life, but Dominic Grey capture my attention in The Egyptian by Layton Green. This biomedical thriller has enough twist and turns to show multiple sides of Dominic and each will just make your heart beat a little faster. See my full review.

What am I reading this week on my Nook?Doing Max Vinyl by Frederick Lee Brook. It has a lot a social commentary on the environment and eating well, with a backdrop of a woman soldier who has returned from 3 tours of Iraq and now wrapped up in finding a stolen cell phone collection.

March 5, 2012

Thomas Nesbitt is a
divorced writer in the midst of a rueful middle age. Living a very
private life in Maine, in touch only with his daughter and still trying
to recover from the end of a long marriage, his solitude is disrupted
one wintry morning by the arrival of a box that is postmarked Berlin.
The name on the box—Dussmann—unsettles him completely, for it belongs to
the woman with whom he had an intense love affair twenty-six years ago
in Berlin at a time when the city was cleaved in two and personal and
political allegiances were frequently haunted by the deep shadows of the
Cold War.
Refusing initially to confront what he might find in
that box, Thomas nevertheless is forced to grapple with a past he has
never discussed with any living person and in the process relive those
months in Berlin when he discovered, for the first and only time in his
life, the full, extraordinary force of true love. But Petra Dussmann,
he woman to whom he lost his heart, was not just a refugee from a
police state, but also someone who lived with an ongoing sorrow that
gradually rewrote both their destinies.
A love story of great epic sweep and immense emotional power, The Moment explores why and how we fall in love—and the way we project on to others that which our hearts so desperately seek. From Goodreads.com